


Night Classes

by WoodsOfBlight



Category: Rayman (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Some time after the games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoodsOfBlight/pseuds/WoodsOfBlight
Summary: Raymesis is curious about the world and his place in it.
Kudos: 5





	Night Classes

"You're late."

The figure didn't flinch nearly as much as he had expected. A nice little fright would have at least gotten him in a better mood.

"Your 'invitation' was rather difficult to decipher." The purple locks appearing once under the worn cloak did not help her much in standing out from the night. "You should consider not jamming your message under my door, next time."

She slowly peered around, looking for him. While he nowhere as adept at being one with the shadows as his master, it still proved very easy to blend into the night, whenever he wanted. Her gaze shifted over his position and though there was a flicker in her eyes, he couldn't tell whether that was realization, or apprehension. Either way, she was clearly waiting on him to make an appearance.

And so he did, taking a couple steps forwards out of the dark woods and into the moonlight. He wasn't quite enthusiastic about sunlight, but the moon was always strangely soothing. Her long ears twitched and she turned a little once more, before her gaze settled on him.

It didn't take long for the realization to set in. While they weren't personally acquainted, she obviously knew of him and his reputation.

"Ah. It's you." she said.

He waited, trying to gauge the fairy's reaction. Was she afraid? Terrified of a being of darkness, such as he was? Was she going to try and attack him? On some level, he almost hoped she would, as combat was always more his forte.

"So... what's going to happen now?" she asked, her voice lacking the nervous edge he would have expected. "Did your master send you?"

"If he wanted me to capture you, I'd have already done that. Fairies like you are easy prey."

"Of course."

There was a hint of a mocking smile on her face, her voice showing anything but worry, and oddly full of confidence.

"I came here on my own." he said. "Just to talk."

"Very well, then." she said, only to turn slightly and walk off to the left.

The shadowy limbless watched with increasing confusion, as Ly sat down on a nearby rock formation, before facing him again. "What do you wish to talk about?"

He lowered his fists, having still expected a fight to break out once she had started moving. Something was wrong about this whole situation. None of it was progressing like he had expected. While her behavior blindsided him, the unpredictability of this meeting was beginning to intrigue him.

"You know who I am." he said, more as a statement than a question.

"I do. My friends have told me about you, Dark Raym-"

His mouth twitched. "Do not call me that. My name is Raymesis."

She paused briefly, before speaking up again. "I apologize."

"I wanted to ask you about some things." he said, continuing in a different direction. "About him, too."

Ly did not have to think hard on who he meant. She nodded, letting him continue.

"Rayman is your hero, correct?"

A smile flashed across her face. "Oh, he would love to hear it phrased like that."

"Yes or no?" he asked again, his voice harsher.

"Most people in the Glade will call him one."

Her reply was deliberate. His yellow gaze was met with a wall of jade, unfettered by his impatience.

"There are things I don't understand. I've watched him sometimes, from the shadows. He's supposed to be the 'hero', and yet so many times I've seen him act like a child, barely any different from when I came into existence."

As always, he avoided saying he was 'created'. The limbless never liked the implications of that word. "He's irresponsible. He causes mischief, resulting in inconveniences for himself and others. And yet they always seem happy to see him. Why is that?"

"Because they still love him."

"Even with those missteps?"

"Those missteps are still part of him." She shifted a bit, never taking her eyes off him. "His positive qualities far outweigh the negatives."

"Is that what Betilla tells you?"

"Betilla tells me many things." she said, a strange light glinting in her eyes. Playful, almost. "You would be surprised how many I actually listen to."

"Tolerating mistakes will just breed more in their wake."

"Is that what Mr. Dark tells you?"

He flinched. He couldn't help it, turning the tables was not something he had anticipated to begin with, much less her so casually invoking the mage.

The fairy took the opportunity and continued. "This isn't strictly about Rayman, either. What is it that you actually want to know?"

Part of him wanted to take the easy way out, right then and there. Claim that this was all a distraction and attack. It would have been a quicker solution, than the sudden discomfort of speaking. And yet, speaking his mind was just as tempting. Perhaps just the novelty of it alone. There wasn't much room for opinions next to Mr. Dark.

"Why is he a hero? How do you become one?"

Her ears perked up. "There is a lot less to think about, than you might believe. People were in trouble. He wanted to help."

"He could have died."

"He knows that. He always knows that." There was an unmistakable sense of sadness in her voice. "But to him, the alternative, standing by and allowing harm to befall to others, is much worse than the thought of dying."

"I don't understand." he said, scratching at the back of his head, so much his counterpart.

"I believe you." There was another smile. Until now, he believe there to be some sort of mockery behind it, but the more it repeated, the less likely that option had become. Rather than leave him hanging, the fairy rephrased her thoughts on the matter.

One after another, Raymesis' questions were met with strange answers. Compassionate, selfless motives he could not put next to the harsh beliefs his master held. Outwardly useless gestures she explained to be acts of kindness. Many of them seemed pointless overall, or held little direct gain.

Eventually though, her answers became less satisfying, less coherent. The moons were in an entirely different position by then and while she did her best to carry on the conversation, he could clearly see her exhaustion. She was a being of light, after all, bound to daytime unlike he was.

"You should go." he said, finally. "You seem tired."

"I am." she allowed herself a brief chuckle. "Perhaps we could continue another time?"

He pondered upon an answer. It was true that he still had many questions for her, but meeting her once was already a risky endeavor. She rose in the meantime and approached him. The shadowy limbless remained tense, but did not back away.

"If you are willing to listen, Raymesis, I could help you. There is a lot beyond what Mr. Dark had told you."

His face flared up as he considered her words. "Do you plan on making me your spy, fairy?"

"I will call you Raymesis, at your request." she said, her voice and gaze equally firm. The tiredness was still there, but had no bearing on her will. "But in return, you shall not address me as 'fairy'. My name is Ly."

The two looked at each other for a short while, his gaze just about burrowing into her head. He wanted to see the treachery she was planning, but besides stubbornness over her request, everything seemed clear as crystal. She wasn't hiding anything.

"Very well... Ly." he said, though part of it sounded like he was chewing gravel.

"Thank you. Be here tomorrow night and we can work out the rest." she pulled the cloak over her head, before turning back to him. "Oh, and, Raymesis?"

By the time he glanced up again, the fairy had already moved. Her quick reflexes surprised him and before he could muster a reaction, she had grabbed both his hand and his body, sending him soaring across her shoulder, before slamming him right into the ground. The limbless sunk into the dewy soil just a bit, all the air escaping from him in one sharp exhale. He looked up, only to see the fairy standing over him, smiling down at him.

"I would have made for a very pesky hostage." she purred, before disappearing from his sight.

It took a minute for Raymesis to register what had just happened. But once it did, he just continued to lay there for a while longer, ignoring the cold. In any other case, he would have retaliated to the point of bloodshed. And yet, as soon as he could breathe properly again, he found himself laughing at the sheer gall of it all. No wonder his counterpart held so much affection for her. He never expected a fairy of all people to get the better of him.

Clearly there was still much for him to learn.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! The past few months have been unexpectedly difficult to squeeze some writing into, so I thought I'd try something less heavy than the previous story. Visit my Tumblr, @woodsofblight, for more!


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